


The Heart Remembers

by wordsarelifealways



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 06:59:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19718557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsarelifealways/pseuds/wordsarelifealways
Summary: Isak hits his head and suffers from some temporary amnesia and Even looks after him through it, even though it breaks his heart that his boyfriend doesn't remember their life together. (6.3k)





	The Heart Remembers

**Author's Note:**

> this was taken from a prompt generator, and it's definitely helped get my creative juices flowing! although I couldn't settle on a title I liked, but I needed one to upload haha

Even was in the middle of doing some reading for his research paper when his phone started buzzing across the table, simultaneously scaring the shit out of him and making him mess up the line he was drawing with his highlighter over an interesting point he had just read.

“Fuck!” He looked at his print out in dismay. The artist in him liked his notes and homework to be tidy and aesthetically pleasing and now he had drawn a damn orange line across half a paragraph. He looked over to his phone accusingly and all he could think that whoever was on the other end of that phone call had better have something _really fucking important_ to say.

He barely looked at the caller ID as he snatched his phone up, but his brain managed to process what it had seen as he put the phone to his ear.

“ _Yes_ , Mags?” Rationally he _knew_ that Magnus hadn’t rung him to fuck up his homework so Even tried not to bite the guy’s head off. It was just that Even had been in the _zone_ and it was hard for him to get into that place sometimes so he really tried to ride the wave when he caught it and now he could feel it pulling away more rapidly than the tide before a tsunami.

“I know you hate phone calls, but I’m taking Isak to A&E.” Magnus rushed out.

“ _What_?” Any thoughts of his homework – hell, even his own _name_ – vanished out of Even’s mind.

“We’re in the ambulance now. Meet us at St Olav’s.”

It was bad enough that Isak needed an _ambulance_.

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, tops.” Even wasn’t even sure if he had properly pressed the end call button before he was dropping his phone and scrambling around for his keys and throwing his hoodie on. He probably wasn’t in any fit state to drive but like hell was he going to rely on public transport at a time like this. Transport was like a printer: it could sense human stress and responded by going even slower than previously thought possible to maximise said stress.

He ran out the door with his keys, his phone, his almost forgotten wallet, and shoes that definitely didn’t match.

***

He texted Magnus when he was parked and thankfully Magnus was waiting for him at the front door to bring him in without having to ask anyone for directions.

“What happened?” Even demanded as soon as Magnus was within earshot. Luckily Magnus didn’t take offense at his seriousness and just turned around and started walking back to where Isak was.

“We were going around Solsiden just talking and looking at stuff, and then some kid on a scooter basically ran – _scooted_? – into him. But Isak fell forward and hit his head really hard off the edge of a bench.” Magnus recounted the accident and Even felt a dozen different questions rush his brain for answers.

“How bad?” Was all he could ask as the lift doors opened for them and brought him one step closer to Isak.

“Bad.” Magnus swallowed audibly and Even forced himself to look over at his friend rather than ahead for any sign of his injured boyfriend.

That was when he realised just how bad Mags looked. There was blood over his shirt and dried onto his hands, and he looked so pale that he was almost translucent.

“You did the right thing, Mags. You called the ambulance and got him to the hospital so someone could check him out. You couldn’t have done any better.” Even put his arm around Magnus’ shoulders, trying not to think about how that was _Isak’s_ blood all over him, and they walked through the ward.

“If he got hit by some little shit on a scooter there wasn’t much more you could have done. It sounds like it was just…a really shitty accident. Thank you for getting him to the hospital. I don’t even know how I would have handled that.” Even gave Magnus’ shoulder a squeeze before letting him go so they could let a nurse get past.

“There was just…so much blood.” Magus shook his head in a daze. “It was like something out of one of those shitty horror movies he loves.”

“When he feels a bit better he might appreciate the comparison.” Even tried to smile, but the truth was that the thought of Isak’s head gushing blood made his stomach turn over. He had barely managed to keep it together after Isak had broken his nose when they were teenagers; he probably would have just had a damn heart attack if he had been the one with Isak when he split his head open.

“Maybe.” Magnus nodded weakly. “He’s just through there. I’m gonna…clean up. I didn’t want to leave him alone while I was waiting for you.” For the millionth time since he had known him Even was struck by how big Magnus’ heart was.

“Thank you, Mags. Why don’t you take some time and rest? This has probably been the most stressful holiday day ever.” Even tried to joke but Magnus just nodded in agreement before walking off in what Even assumed was the direction of the bathrooms.

He stared at the door for a moment, picturing Isak behind it all alone in his hospital bed and injured, before letting himself in.

He tried to brace himself for it, he really did, but the sight of Isak with a big bandage across half of his forehead made his heart drop through the soles of his mismatching shoes.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” A nurse that Even hadn’t even noticed was suddenly right in front of him, obscuring his view of Isak.

“I’m- I’m Even? I’m Isak’s boyfriend?” The sternness on her face reminded him of a mother telling off an unruly child.

“Magnus did say you were coming up but I just wanted to be sure.” The sternness faded from her features and was replaced by a warm smile. “He did say you were tall and handsome when he tried to tell me what to expect in case he wasn’t here when you arrived.”

Even didn’t have the mental capacity to share in the small talk.

“How is Isak?” He tried to move around the nurse but she stepped smoothly straight back in front of him.

“He’s had a very serious fall. He’s lucky that he didn’t fracture anything, quite frankly.” That sounded like she was saying it could have been a lot worse; surely that meant Isak was alright under all that bandage?

“He was very disorientated when the paramedics reached him. He couldn’t remember his surname or how he had hit his head, and Magnus said he had had a lot of difficulty keeping Isak awake while they had been waiting. Isak became very distressed when he arrived at the hospital, but once he calmed down we were able to take examine him.”

“And?” Even was sure she was leaving him on tenterhooks on purpose to stress him as much as possible.

“Isak has a concussion, and he’s showing signs of amnesia. It’s quite common with concussions but it can be frightening. I just wanted you to understand that before you spoke to him.” The nurse was looking at him with the same seriousness from before, which did nothing to alleviate Even’s nerves.

“Amnesia?” He repeated. That felt so much bigger than a concussion, which was bad enough on its own.

“It’s almost always temporary. Give Isak information, answer questions he might ask, but if it looks like he’s getting overwhelmed just let him rest. Usually the memories come back after a day or two as the brain recovers from being rattled around inside the skull, but a little prompting can help the process. Too much and it becomes overwhelming and stressful and may end up setting him back. Magnus said you two are very close, though, so I trust that you’ll know if he’s getting upset or frustrated.” The nurse smiled at that, although Even had never felt less like smiling even while getting complimented on how tight he and Isak were.

“Thanks.” He knew it fell flat but he didn’t have it in him to care. “Can I talk to him now?”

“Yes, I was just checking his vitals. We’re keeping him under observation for twenty four hours, and if the doctors are happy with his results he’ll be able to go home tomorrow. Just…try not to take it personally what he remembers and what he doesn’t.” The nurse advised.

With one last smile she swept past Even, no doubt to go and terrorise some other poor spouse.

And then it was just him and Isak.

***

“Isak?” He whispered, sitting himself down in the chair next to the bed. Isak’s eyes fluttered a little under his lids and his eyebrows twitched in a tiny frown. “Is?” Even tried again as he took his boyfriend’s hand and tangled their fingers together. Feeling Isak’s skin, warm and very much _alive_ , against his own helped ground him back into the moment. Even was sure if he was left untethered he would disappear inside a huge cloud of worries, never to be seen again.

“More tests?” Isak mumbled before his eyes finally opened. He looked exhausted, but Even couldn’t deny the selfish rush of relief at seeing Isak’s eyes.

The relief was short lived.

“Who are you?” Isak’s frown deepened and he drew his arm back weakly. Even dropped his hand immediately, more out of shock than courtesy, and felt his heart stop as if it ceased having a reason to beat while Isak didn’t recognise him. “Where’s Magnus?” Isak’s eyes roamed the room as if he was expecting Magnus to be hiding behind a pot plant or something.

“Mags is just cleaning himself up. I’m Even?” He introduced himself uneasily, silently praying that his name would be enough to jolt Isak’s memory.

“I don’t know any Even’s.” Isak was almost glaring at him now; the same glare he directed at Even whenever Even tried to distract him from his homework.

“The- the nurse told me you had a concussion. And amnesia?” Even wanted to kick himself for sounding so unsure about everything. Isak needed someone to be firm and certain right now, not some nervous _idiot_.

“Oh.” Isak’s face lost a little of the hostility.

“Did they not tell you?” Even frowned.

“I don’t know; I have amnesia apparently.” Isak deadpanned in that serious way that only Isak could, and despite the awfulness of the situation it made Even laugh.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just…that was some classic Isak Valtersen sarcasm.” Even apologised when the scowl appeared back on Isak’s face.

“So if I _do_ know you, who are you?” Isak asked coldly.

“I’m Even Bech Næsheim.” He reintroduced himself. “I’m your boyfriend. We’ve been dating since December 2016.” He had no idea if it was good or bad to tell Isak that they were dating, but he prayed at least that Isak remembered he was gay.

“ _What_?” Isak jerked his head back and immediately cringed in pain.

“Careful!” Even reached out without thinking to cup Isak’s face before realising that his touch probably wouldn’t be welcomed and awkwardly taking his hand back. “You have a concussion; try not to move your head around too much.” He wasn’t sure if that was genuine advice but he really didn’t want to see Isak suffering.

“He’s awake! Fuck, Isak, you scared the shit out of me back there.” Magnus seemed to explode back into the stilted silence of Isak’s room, sitting himself down on the foot of Isak’s bed.

“He’s got a concussion, Mags.” Even explained. He hadn’t even really thought about how he had been keeping his voice low to avoid hurting Isak’s head until he heard Magnus talking at a normal level.

“Oh, sorry.” Magnus lowered his voice as well. “At least you’ve got the world’s best boyfriend to wait on you hand and foot while you get better.” Magnus gave Isak a conspiring wink, to which Isak just stared blankly back at him.

“He’s got amnesia.” Even tried to swallow how much it scared him that Isak didn’t remember him or their life together. “He doesn’t remember me right now.” He had no idea what he would do if Isak’s memories _didn’t_ come back to him.

Well, he knew he’d work to win Isak’s heart again. But he didn’t know how his own heart would recover from being forgotten when Isak had looked after it for so long.

“What?!” Magnus’ head snapped around to stare at Isak with huge owl eyes, as if that was going to help matters at all. “Well, let me fill you in.”

And then Even spent a bizarre 15 minutes sitting in dazed silence while Magnus told Isak the story of their relationship.

_You met at Nissen._

_You were still in the closet but when you two were getting serious you came out._

_You had your first kiss in a swimming pool – under the water apparently – like you were in a goddamn romantic movie._

_For two smart people you were both pretty dumb. Even cheated on his girlfriend with you, which definitely blew up in his face, and then when you found out he was bipolar you talked about him like he was suddenly an alien and not still the same dude you were so gone for. And holy shit were you gone. You were like a smitten first year or something, but we could all tell there was something real there._

_It sounded like it was pretty hard for a while before you got your shit together, but eventually you and him got back together and that was that. You’ve been a package deal ever since._

_We helped you move out of your flat share into a new place in Oslo and we had some wicked pre drinks there while we finished up at school. You both got into uni and moved to Trondheim, which sucks for us guys who all miss you but your new place is way nicer than your Oslo flat so we all get it._

_Your PDA is always off the charts. You’re_ that _couple. We can’t take you guys anywhere without you ending up on your damn boyfriend’s lap or making out in a corner somewhere. Some things never change I guess; I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve kicked me and the boys out so you could get laid._

_You guys have always seemed solid though. You just work. Honestly I was half expecting you guys to be engaged by now; you act like a married couple anyway._

“Mags, I think that’s probably enough information for now.” Even finally spoke up at the mention of marriage. He didn’t want to think about marrying Isak when Isak couldn’t even remember him right now. Isak also looked paler than before, like all this information had drained him.

“I just can’t believe you forgot your own romantic movie level love story, Is! You two are like soulmates.” Magnus shook his head in disbelief.

“Sounds like it.” Isak said faintly.

“Why don’t you get some rest?” Even suggested. “The nurse said they want you to stay here under observation until tomorrow, so you can just chill.”

“Sleep.” Isak gave a tiny nod and settled down into his pillows and duvet. He kept shooting glances at Magnus like he wanted to ask more, and Even realised that it was _his_ presence that was the hinderance.

“I’m…gonna go grab something to eat.” A blatant lie. Nothing was going to get past the lump in his throat any time soon. “I’ll see you when you wake up.” He stood up from his chair and very nearly bent over to kiss the uninjured side of Isak’s forehead before he remembered himself.

He barely managed to close Isak’s door behind himself before the tears started coming.

***

Twenty minutes locked in a toilet cubicle later, Even had managed to calm himself down from the shock and convince himself that Isak’s memories would come back after a few days. It also occurred to him that this was probably twice as stressful for Isak as it was for him; he just needed to help ease Isak through the next few days when other people would know more about his life than he did.

Even could totally do that.

Right?

***

Isak was discharged the next afternoon with pain meds and his doctors note that Even intended to scan and email to Isak’s tutor as soon as they got home.

“Fuck, my head hurts.” Isak groaned as they went down the lift.

“Yeah, smacking it off a bench will do that.” Even said sympathetically.

“Is it a long drive home?” Isak put his hand to his bandage gingerly, as if he could rub the pain of his eight stitches away.

“Ten, maybe fifteen minutes?” Even estimated as he lead Isak to the car park.

“I think I’ll sleep in the back.” Isak cringed away from the daylight, hiding behind Even to use him like a shield, until they got to the car.

“Okay, babe.” Even replied automatically. It was only after he had unlocked the car and got in the drivers seat that he realised his mistake. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable-”

“It’s fine.” Isak mumbled as he sank into the backseats. “You’ve probably been calling me that for years, right? I can see that you’re trying and I appreciate that because this is still… _really_ weird for me.” Even waited for Isak to do up his seatbelt before looking away and starting the car.

He really hoped he didn’t make the next few days harder for Isak than they needed to be.

***

“When is this from?” Isak picked up one of their framed photos, and Even leaned over to take a look.

“Oh, that’s from our trip to Morocco!” Even grinned. “We both got so burnt on the last day because we fell asleep in the garden of the place we were staying. We ate so much food that holiday and saw a lot of cool shit. Our friends joked that that holiday was our honeymoon.” Even thanked every deity he could think of that he remembered to stop before he added that it was an apt comparison considering how much sex they had had on that holiday, like he usually did when he was talking about Morocco.

“We look really happy.” Isak was still staring intently at the photo, oblivious to Even’s narrowly avoided faux pas.

“We were.” Even agreed. “We took that holiday in the summer between finishing school and starting uni, so it was a nice ‘between responsibilities’ sort of time.” He explained.

“Do we take a lot of holidays?” Isak asked as he set the photo back down on the shelf.

“Not really? We went on holiday once with my parents to America to visit some of my extended family, but it wasn’t that great. That was our only other ‘big’ holiday.” Even admitted. Isak had had a horrible time in America between struggling with the oppressive heat and not being confident in his English.

“Okay.” Isak didn’t press for any more information than that, for which Even as grateful.

“We’ve gone on a couple of road trips with the boys. Other than that we’re just ticking along like most other people.”

“Do you have a job?” Isak looked over at him, and for the millionth time Even felt like he was being punched in the chest. It was so surreal having Isak talking to him like a stranger.

“Yeah, I teach evening art classes and do some photography work.” Even explained.

“You’re an artist?” Isak looked so surprised by something that he had known for years. Even wanted to lie down and cry, but he knew that wasn’t an option.

“I guess. I’ve never really liked the word ‘artist’, though, it just sounds so pretentious.” Even tried to smile.

“Magnus told me you were a dirty hipster and always have been.” Isak said matter of factly before wandering off to look around the flat.

 _Fucking Magnus_.

***

Isak stayed in their room until well into the evening, and Even tried not to think about incriminating things that Isak might not be ready to find.

The nurse had advised him not to spend much – if any – time looking at screens while he was healing, so Even was sure he wouldn’t stumble across the more explicit of their sex tapes that Even had on a separate USB stick in his desk drawer. Even did have his box of polaroid nudes that were a mix of arty and moments he just wanted to capture, but none of them were flat out explicit. Mature content, sure, but not explicit.

Even had made the argument many a time that some of those nudes could well have been put onto a canvas and hung in a museum, at which point Isak usually slapped his arm and told him that if he ever publicised _any_ of their nudes then he would personally cut off Even’s testicles for stress balls.

Safe to say all form of nudes and sex tapes were kept _very_ secure.

***

“Find anything interesting?” Even asked over dinner. They were sat at the table, but their usual cosy atmosphere was missing and Even knew he was the only one who knew it.

“Lots of library books and homework. More photos of us. And drawings, that I’m guessing are yours?” Isak gave him a level look, apparently unaware of the way Even’s heart froze at the mention of photos before he remembered the ones on their desk, and waited for his answer.

“Yeah, the stuff on the walls is mine.” Even nodded. Most of the drawings were of Isak, which probably felt really weird to Isak while he didn’t remember Even.

“They’re really good. I can see why people would come to you for lessons.” The genuineness in Isak’s voice was like getting stabbed in the throat. Why did it have to be so painful to listen to Isak rediscover all these things?

“Thanks, Is.” Even attempted a smile before picking at the rest of his dinner.

“From the look of those drawings you must love me a lot.” At that Even looked up from his plate, trying not to look too much like his heart was shattering.

“I’ve loved you since you were a bratty 17 year old, and I’ve loved you more and more every day we’ve been together.” Even didn’t shy away from Isak’s gaze. There were a lot of things he was uncertain of, but his unending love for Isak was not one of them.

“Oh.” Isak whispered, his eyes widening slightly. This time it was Isak who looked away first, and Even suddenly worried that he had overwhelmed him like the nurse had said not to. Isak continued slowly picking at his dinner and after a few seconds Even decided that he seemed okay.

He knew his love could be overwhelming on a _normal_ day, let alone a day where Isak was recovering from a concussion.

***

“What are you doing?” Isak was looking at the pile of blankets in Even’s arms like he’d never seen them before.

“I’m…getting stuff ready to sleep on the couch?” Even had thought it was pretty obvious. He set his lump of blankets down next to the sofa before flopping down.

“I can take the sofa, you’ve already been put out enough dealing with this-”

“You’re not sleeping on our sofa with a concussion, Isak. This isn’t a debate.” Even shut that thought down before Isak could finish voicing it. “You need to get better, and having a shitty sleep on the sofa isn’t going to help that. You’re taking the bed and that’s all there is to it.” Even shook his head.

“Okay.” Isak eventually agreed, but Even recognised the sullen look on his face. Apparently amnesiac Isak also hated feeling reprimanded.

***

It was gone three in the morning and Even was clicking around on his phone. His exhausted brain wasn’t really taking anything it, but it felt better than lying in the dark wallowing about how little sleep he was getting. He wanted to blame the sofa for how he was struggling to fall asleep, but deep down he knew that the truth was that it had been a long time since he had fallen asleep _not_ all tangled up with Isak.

He had forgotten how to sleep alone.

Everyone had been texting him to check on Isak and make sure Even was alright, but now that it was just Even and his thoughts he could feel the awful thoughts creeping in.

_What if Isak’s memories never came back? What if his injury got worse? What if Isak decided when all this was over that he wanted to go back to a life without Even?_

It was almost 4AM when he heard the bedroom door open and tentative footsteps shuffled towards the sofa.

“I can’t sleep.” Isak whispered, and Even quickly turned his phone screen off in case the brightness hurt Isak’s head. “I can’t get comfy in that bed.”

_You haven’t slept in that bed alone either. Your body remembers what your brain can’t._

“I can’t sleep either.” Even said instead. There was no way he was going to agree to a swap with Isak; the sofa wasn’t going to do him any good.

“I- the bed- I mean- ugh, fuck.” Isak covered his face with his hands in frustration and Even suddenly sat up.

“Isak?” Was this Isak’s brain forgetting words? Did Even need to drive him back to the emergency department?

“The bed is _ours_ , right? We obviously share a bed. We’re a couple. We’ve been a couple for nearly three years.” Isak’s voice was muffled by his hands still hiding his face, but Even had years of practice in understanding Isak when he had something obscuring his mouth.

“It is, yeah.” Even wasn’t sure what point Isak was trying to make.

“Fuck.” Isak groaned as he slid his hands down his face. “Come sleep with me, please? We must have a certain way to sleep?”

Even’s jaw nearly dropped, but he just about stopped himself. It had probably taken a lot of courage for Isak to ask him that and seeing Even react like that wasn’t going to help.

“Are you sure?”

“I still don’t really remember you. It’s like there’s a big fuzzy wall in the way. But it’s obvious from this place and from Magnus was saying that I can trust you. And I have this weird feeling here, like my brain is trying to force me to remember something. I just…want to sleep. Please come into bed?” The exhausted look on his boyfriend’s face brought Even right back to the early days of their relationship, before Isak got his insomnia under control.

“If you’re sure, baby.” Even nodded. He was fatally weak against tired Isak.

The moment they were both in bed they melded together like any other night, and Even swore he heard Isak let out a shaky sigh before nestling closer into him.

***

He woke up at nearly 7AM, with Isak’s face buried in his neck and his bandage tickling against Even’s skin, and despite how awful the last 48 hours had been Even felt himself relax at having Isak so close.

He had missed being able to touch Isak. The touch was comforting both ways: it soothed some of Isak’s pain, but it also reassured Even and helped him feel grounded. He rubbed his open palm over Isak’s back for a second before pressing him closer and burying his face in Isak’s hair.

How could he ever live without this boy?

***

The next time Even woke up it was nearly midday and Isak was sat cross legged next to him with a box in his lap. For a terrifying second Even thought it was their box of polaroid nudes and almost reached out to snatch it away, but at the last second he realised it was the wrong colour.

“What’ve you got there?” Even mumbled tiredly, keeping his face half squashed into the pillow while his brain woke up.

“I found it in the bottom drawer on my side of the bed.” Isak explained. That piqued Even’s curiosity – seeing as he didn’t make a habit of snooping in his boyfriend’s drawers – and he raised an eyebrow over at Isak.

“And what’s in it?”

“I think it’s a box of mementos?” Isak offered the box over to Even, who sat up with some effort to look it over.

“This is just yours. I didn’t even know this box existed.” Even confessed before he made any attempt to look inside.

“It’s okay. I’ve looked through everything already.” Isak nodded encouragingly at him, which was all the consent Even needed.

Isak’s box had an eclectic mix of things, some of which really surprised Even. When they had first got together Isak hadn’t been much of a sentimental soul, but as they got older he had noticed that Isak valued photos and trinkets to remind them of the things they had done.

There were receipts from random restaurants they’d been to, all with scribbled notes on the back of some small moment that had made Isak happy, a single key which Even was sure opened the front door to their old flat, a tiny bottle full of sand with a little label that said _Morocco_ , a flower that had been pressed dried and laminated that Even vaguely remembered giving Isak one summer day, a drawing Even had done of a dandelion, and a list of places that looked like some sort of bucket list.

“Wow.” Even’s heart was clenching painfully in his chest. It was such an Isak accumulation of things; tiny moments that stood out to him of their time together.

“Seems to me that the ultimate keepsake is you.” Isak smiled over at him and Even’s heart stopped.

“Do you remember me?”

“Kind of? I remember some of these things, but they’re still blurry. The more I think about it the harder it gets to focus on them.” Isak sighed, fiddling with the duvet stretched over his lap.

“Don’t force it.” Even reached over and gave Isak’s hand a quick squeeze. “It will come back. Your brain probably has more important healing things to do right now than let you remember your boyfriend.” He knew it was true but it didn’t make it suck less.

“But I want to remember.” Isak gave him such a sad, earnest, look that Even wished he could reach inside Isak’s brain and pull those memories out of wherever they were hiding.

“You will.” Even promised.

There wasn’t any other option.

***

Isak had another little nap in the early afternoon, and Even used that time to do some tidying and think about what to make for dinner. He received a few more messages asking after Isak, which he kept his replies to vague but optimistic. He knew Isak was frustrated, but their friends didn’t need to know that.

Even was halfway through chopping vegetables for dinner when Isak emerged from their room. His bandage was starting to come away from his forehead, revealing his sore looking stitches and the bruise blooming around it, but Even tried his hardest not to look at it.

“Hey, Isak.” He gave his boyfriend a small smile before looking back to where he was chopping.

“Hey.” Isak came right over to him and leaned against his side, startling Even with physical contact.

“You okay?” He set the knife down and wrapped his arm around Isak’s shoulders.

“I looked at our instagrams.” Isak said simply, leaning more heavily into Even’s side. “My head hurts, but it was worth it. We really are _that_ couple, huh?” Isak had clearly seen all the photos they had been tagged in over the years by their friends calling them out for being unable to stay away from each other.

“Yeah, Magnus wasn’t lying. Must be disconcerting to be in a world where Magnus was right.” Even joked.

“It’s cute. I never thought I’d be in that sort of relationship. Some of our photos are really sappy, even recently.” Isak glanced up at him and Even couldn’t avoid seeing his huge bruise.

“We’re wildly in love, what can I say?” Even shrugged nonchalantly.

“I can tell.” Isak let out a little huff of a laugh through his nose before swaying against Even’s side.

“Woah, think it’s time for you to have a lie down.” Even kept Isak close and walked him slowly back towards the bedroom.

“Ugh, I feel like shit.” Isak was shaking like a leaf against him and Even’s heart broke for him.

“You have a concussion. Just take it easy, alright? I’ll save some dinner for you.” Even helped his boy onto the bed and pulled the duvet over him in the way Isak liked.

“Do you always look after me like this?” Isak squinted up at him blearily and Even couldn’t help but smile.

“We look after each other.” Even corrected him. He fixed Isak’s bandage back down and brushed a light kiss over it before leaving Isak to rest.

It was only when he was back in the kitchen that he realised that was probably incredibly unhygienic.

***

No one was more surprised than Even that he managed to do some uni work after cooking their dinner. Everything was cooling on the stove now, so the flat smelt heavenly, and he was three pages deep into the paper he had been reading before Magnus phoned him.

He was scribbling down an idea for a counter argument when he heard Isak gasp loudly in the bedroom. The gasp was quickly followed by some sort of thump, which had Even jumping to his feet in a millisecond, and the sound of someone getting all tangled up in their duvet.

“Isak?” Even tried to keep his voice calm as he went into the bedroom, but nothing inside of him felt calm. What if the thump had been Isak hitting his head again? What if his head felt worse?

“I remember!” Isak was gasping for breath like he’d just ran a damn marathon and he was looking around the room wildly, still flushed pink from sleep where he was sat up in bed. “I remember, I remember, it’s back!” Isak was babbling, seeming in some sort of shock, and Even rushed over to him.

He sat up on the bed next to Isak and pulled him into his arms, letting Isak curl up against him and rest his surely aching head against Even’s chest as he calmed down. It took a long time and a lot of stroking his hair for Isak to get his breathing under control, but the moment he could breathe the tears started.

“It’s okay, baby, you’re okay.” Even kept whispering, rubbing Isak’s back and kissing anywhere on his head and face that he could reach that didn’t have a bandage in the way.

“I remember us. I _remember_ us.” Isak was clinging onto the arm Even had wrapped around his waist as if he was afraid Even was going to disappear if he let go. It took almost half an hour for Isak to stop crying, at which point he crawled onto Even’s lap and hid his face in Even’s neck, and Even wished he knew what to say to make it all seem less upsetting.

“I can’t believe I forgot you.” Isak whimpered, fisting his hands in the hair at the back of Even’s head. “I don’t ever want to go through that again.” Isak’s voice shook and Even wasn’t sure what he’d do if Isak started crying again.

“It definitely sucked.” Even agreed. “But it’s over now, angel, okay? Your brain’s healing. _You’re_ okay, I’m okay, and this doesn’t change anything between us.” Even rocked Isak gently in his lap and his baby just held on tighter.

“I love you so much, Even. I love you _so_ much. What if I’d never got to tell you again? What if my memories stayed gone and I hadn’t been able to _tell_ you? You…you are the _best_ part of my life. You made me realise how much I could love someone and I just need you t-”

“I know.” Even said softly. “I _know_ , baby. If your memories had never come back I would still have known how much you had loved me. How much you _do_ love me.” He leaned back enough that he could see Isak’s face and he pressed a kiss to an unscathed part of his forehead. “You never need to worry about that.” He promised.

“I love you.” Isak’s face crumpled with emotion and Even let him press himself impossibly closer.

“I love you too, baby. More and more every day.” Even cupped the back of Isak’s head and stroked the hair there, feeling the tension slowly melt out of Isak.

“Even when I don’t remember you?” Isak sniffed.

“Especially then.” Even kissed the top of Isak’s head. “Baby, this was just practice for when we’re old and senile. If our brains forget our hearts will always remember each other.” Even promised.

“My heart never forgot you.” Isak whispered into his neck, clinging so tightly that Even had to try not to wince.

“The heart never forgets a love like ours. _This_ heart certainly won’t.” Even whispered back, extracting one of Isak’s hands from his hair to rest it over his heart.

It would be impossible to ever forget being in love with Isak Valtersen.

It was a love that had saved his life, and changed it for the better.

Their love was unforgettable, and Isak had proved it.

**Author's Note:**

> THOUGHTS??????
> 
> [the blog](http://isaksredscarf.tumblr.com)   
>  [the twitter](https://twitter.com/isaksredscarf99)


End file.
